


Madam Morrigan

by 3rikala



Category: Ghost Adventures (TV)
Genre: Demonic Possession, F/M, Witchcraft
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-29
Updated: 2016-09-10
Packaged: 2018-08-11 17:21:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,878
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7901236
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/3rikala/pseuds/3rikala
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gwen Lawrence, a young interior decorator finds herself tangled in a fate laid out by the Dark Goddess herself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

The first time I saw Madam Morrigan's I was seventeen and with a group of girls from school. Downtown was bustling with people, the many shops that lined the street had a steady flow of customers. Modern boutique's and cafe's left and right, always something hip and new. But there it was, between The Law Firm of Lockwood and Sons, and the Cafe Blaq... The building it occupied appeared to be older than the rest, its brick exterior remained untouched by paint and looked worn in places. Vines hugged the space under a wide window to the left of the door, the white paint of the window sill was chipped away to reveal the dark wood underneath. The building was a mess, to put it simply, the only new addition was the freshly painted purple door with a pentacle hovering above it. A very peculiar thing in my mind, surely it meant something, to her at least. Even the shop owner herself gave off an aura of mystery, which in some cases like my own, piqued the interest of the average Joe. It didn't help that when she looked at you passing by she had this twinkle in her eye, making you want to come inside. It was this look that sparked the rumors that littered the city. 

"I heard that anyone who enters, never comes out." one of the girls whispered to the group. 

"Yeah, that's probably because she eats the people who go in there," another chimed in, "she uses them in some kind of black magic." I turned and looked at the horror in some of the girls eyes, hearing them talk about her left a bad taste in my mouth. Like she was listening to them talk about her, or at least something was listening. When I finally looked back at the shop one more time she was standing in the window observing us, as she met my gaze she gave me a careful smirk and I felt chills run down my spine. Ushering the girls back down the street I tried to put the witch out of my mind entirely, silently praying to myself that our paths would never cross again. 

******

"Gwen," I heard a voice through the haze of my sleep, "I'm headed out." I finally opened my eyes to see the kind face of my roommate Piper. 

"Shit, what time is it?" I mumbled, stretching my arms above my head, only to realize for a third night in a row I had fallen asleep on the couch. She smiled at me and laughed. 

"Like two in the afternoon, are you enjoying your 'summer break'?" she teased. I rolled my eyes at her and shook my head. 

"Not really, my sleep schedule is fucked, and I haven't had a call back from any of the offices I applied to." I sighed, sitting up and opening a spot on the couch, to which she politely declined. "I'm starting to feel really discouraged honestly." 

"I understand, I mean at least you were prepared to be laid off. Unlike many of the others in your position." She tried giving me the sympathy I so clearly needed, I smiled softly. "Well I have to head out, keep your chin up." Piper turned and grabbed her purse, giving me a smile and a small wave before she headed out the door. I breathed out a sigh and groaned running my hands through my hair. My laptop sat open on the table in front of me, resume's stacked beside it. Fingers crossed that someone in the interior decorating world had seen my portfolio, I was getting impatient, and broke. Linking my fingers I brought them back and cracked them before turning on my computer. Bringing up my email I quickly logged in before shouting with joy. 1 new email. Thank God, or whoever was listening right now. 

I recognized the name of the man sending the email, but for some reason I couldn't quite place it. Aaron Goodwin, was looking for someone with a very creative eye. He had been through two interior designers already and none of them really understood what he was looking for, or preferred to stay on a more modern route. He had heard good thing about me through my previous job, and thought to offer me a private contract. I grinned from ear to ear, finally. From what I understood he was a challenge, and I loved a good challenge. 

Mr. Goodwin,  
I would be happy to take on your apparent challenge, and I am happy to arrange a time to meet up and discuss what is pleasing to your eye. If you don't mind bringing by some inspiration ideas for me I would greatly appreciate it. This way I am getting a visual for what you're looking for, I don't want you to feel like your wants and needs aren't getting through to me. 

I finished my email up adding in my phone number, and that I hoped to hear from him soon. Breathing a sigh of relief I pressed send, something good was coming my way, I could just feel it. I got to my feet, making my way into the bathroom. Looking in the mirror I really took myself in, and I cringed at what I saw. All those long days sleeping on the couch had taken a toll on my outward appearance. My hair looked dull, its once glorious shine was flat and lifeless, hung around my face in a tangled, brown mess. I had bags under my eyes like you wouldn't believe, and the sweat pants and baggy t-shirt were doing nothing for my figure. I groaned, quickly removing my clothes and jumping in the shower. I had to stop sitting around on my ass, and make some things happen while I waited for Aaron Goodwin to email me back. 

The water was warm and refreshing, something my achy neck and shoulders seemed to thrive off of. I made a mental note to start working from my bed, at least that way I wouldn't have to make my body suffer. Humming to myself I begun washing my hair of its greasy glory, finally freeing myself of this so called 'summer break'. 

******

By the time I got out of the shower, and managed to blow-dry my hair I had an email reply from Aaron, asking me to meet for lunch the next day and that he would be more than happy to bring his inspiration. I smiled when I read that he was excited for us to be on more familiar terms, making designing his home that much easier. Hopefully he was this pleasant in person, because his emails were great. I had, had enough of difficult housewives and their picky husbands so I welcomed the idea of helping a guy get his house in order. I gathered my laptop and all the papers on the table, bringing them back into their rightful place in my bedroom. Turning to face my closet I puffed out my chest, it was time to ditch my oversized everything and find something professional for my meeting with Aaron tomorrow. 

By the time I had a top 10 it was well past 9:30 pm and I could hear Piper knocking at my door, clearly I was so involved with looking nice that I didn't even hear my roommate come home. "Hey, come in!" 

"Holy cow, what's with the mess?" she laughed, looking about in disbelief. From her perspective it looked like my closet threw up half of its contents, strewn across the floor and onto my bed. I gave her an ashamed grimace, shrugging my shoulders.

"I got an email offering me a private contract." Piper's face broke out into a wolfish grin as she jumped in the air shouting.

"Finally!" she cheered. "Who is it for? Or can you say?"

"It's for a guy named Aaron Goodwin," I replied, folding some of the clothes I decided were no's. "He's been through two designers already, and I am assuming they just weren't the creative types. So he's looking for someone who can really get what he is wanting." 

"Well how did he find you?" she quirked and eyebrow, moving aside some more of the clothes, giving her a place to sit. 

"Funny enough, he said Mark recommended me?" I shrugged.

"As in, Mark who fired you?" Piper tucked a stray piece of short red hair behind her ear. 

"The very same, I guess he didn't harbour any bad feelings after it all ended." I trailed off, both of us falling into silence. Piper had known about my affair with one of my old bosses, which ended in him firing me and returning back to his wife... Lenore. 

"Tell me more about this Aaron guy," she quickly diverted the conversation, as to avoid bringing up the heartache that unfolded more than two years ago, "his name sounds familiar."

"Yeah, I looked into him a bit." I walked over and opened my laptop. "He's a host on that Travel Channel show Ghost Adventures." 

"Oooh, maybe you'll meet some ghosts," she shot me a playful wink.

I rolled my eyes walking over and seating myself next to her on the bed. "Yeah this is him though, he's pretty big on the social media front so I don't think it will be very hard to get an idea of who he is." 

"He's not terrible on the eyes, but then again, the other guy is definitely a looker." Piper pointed to the host of the show posing in the background of one of Aaron's photographs. 

"That would be Zak Bagan's, and from what I understand they are both single." I playfully poked her in the ribs with my elbow. She laughed and shook her head.

"You know I would be tempted, IF I swung that way." Piper grinned, and got to her feet. "But hey I have an early morning tomorrow, and I probably won't be back before dinner. Are you meeting this guy tomorrow?"

"Yeah for a late lunch around one." I smiled, "I am just excited to work again, so hopefully he likes me and all goes well."

"Well I hope he really likes you," Piper teased, "you have been single for too long." I brushed off what she said and shooed her out the door.

"Goodnight Pip'." I said in a singsong voice. She waved me off and disappeared down the hard hallways towards her bedroom. I shut the door firmly behind me and peered over at my laptop, which still had a photo of the Ghost Adventures crew up on display. She wasn't wrong, all of them were charming in their own way, but the host took the show his intense gaze leaving a lasting impression. I collapsed back onto my bed, firmly closing the lid to my laptop for now, my mind full of ideas for tomorrow.


	2. Chapter Two

I waited patiently at the table of a small local restaurant, the late August heat beat down on me. Thankfully I came prepared wearing lightweight clothing, allowing my very pale shoulders to get some much needed sun. The jumpsuit I wore was a light off white, paired handsomely with a bright blue floral belt, I kept it simple with flat shoes as to not appear like I was trying too hard. Checking my phone I realized I was insanely early for this meeting. But I was nervous, and rightly so, as a celebrity Aaron could prove to make me a lot of money and also give me a chance at possibly starting my own design head quarters for those who don't want to go through big businesses. Ten more minutes till one, so I quickly ordered a water to tie me over. 

"Hey, are you Gwen Lawrence?" a man's voice said ahead of me, shielding my eyes from the sun's glare I gave him a warm smile, instantly recognizing him from his photos online.

"I am, you must be Aaron. Or would you prefer Mr. Goodwin?" I asked standing and shaking his hand. 

"Oh God please Aaron, I plan to avoid the 'Mr. Goodwin' as long as possible." he smiled brightly, causing me to chuckle.

"Alright Aaron, should we get some food? Or just jump right in?" I asked handing him one of two menus. 

"Both couldn't hurt?" he finally took his eyes off of me, opening the menu and peering at it.

We eventually both decided, Aaron getting a salad with chicken of sorts, half mentioning his dietary preferences. I settled on a plain steak Caesar salad, which happened to be my regular when I came here with Piper. "Thank you for meeting me on such short notice," he drawled, resting his elbows on the table, lacing his fingers together. 

"No problem, my roommate teases me about not being out all day. So it was good to get away from my so called summer vacation." I joked, earning a smile from him. I will admit, Piper was right, he definitely wasn't hard on the eyes, underneath the baggy t-shirt he wore I am sure he had a great physique. "Plus I'm not the one who had to drive to Laughlin in the first place."

"A break is never a bad thing though, but I will end it and give you something to have fun with. Plus I don't mind driving, seriously. I think it will be worth it." Aaron brought out his cell phone and scrolled through some photos of artwork, I felt a heat rise to my face. "I want to focus on bringing all the art I have made and acquired over the years, together. Make it the focal point of the mass majority of my house. Also I have a lot of.. souvenirs of sorts, and I want to make a room where I can display these artifacts." 

"Yeah absolutely!" I leaned in, our faces hovering over his cell phone. A lot of the paintings were dark in nature, but I suppose I wasn't surprised honestly, he spent his life investigating the paranormal. Coming into contact with the dark and macabre, that had to have a lasting impression. 

"Now any ideas?" he asked letting me scroll through the photos myself.

"Well I can tell right away that you weren't kidding when you said you didn't want something super modern." he chuckled at my joke. "I definitely think that I can work with this."

"Good, because I got a good feeling when I saw you." Aaron said, as the waiter put his food in front of us, I grinned as our eyes met feeling a warmth in the pit of my belly. 

We ate quickly, talking about Aaron's wants and needs that quickly turned into a session of getting to know one another. I told Aaron things that I didn't really expect to tell a near stranger, and he was the same with me. Talked to me about the weird dreams he kept having, and the hopes he had of having everything in one home bringing some much needed peace. After a while we got on the topic of local legends, haunted casinos, the Oatman girls, and finally Madam Morrigan's.

"So you've never been inside?" he asked, raising and eyebrow. 

"No, it scared the shit out of me till I was a teenager. I never really go downtown so honestly so I haven't probably come near the shop in.. a good five years." I shrugged, and Aaron nodded.

"Well in that case, want to take a look?" He had motioned for the waiter to bring us the bill and paid for it in a hurry. 

"Oh, you don't have to get lunch for me!" I protested and he dismissed it. 

"It's my treat," he smiled and I felt that there was more mischievous undertones to his grin. "So, what do you say? Care you conquer one fear today?" The glimmer in his eyes appealed to me, so I finally sighed getting to my feet.

"Alright, let's go."

******

My heart hammered in my chest as I got into Aaron's SUV, keeping up with the gentlemanly attitude he offered to drive, making parking in downtown Laughlin much easier than if two of us were driving. He pulled in to the spot right in front of Madam Morrigan's, and it looked like it hadn't changed a day. "Purple door represents that this belongs to a practicing witch." Aaron noted, crossing his arms in front of him. "Are you sure you're cool doing this?" he turned his body positioning so he was facing me. 

"As I'll ever be honestly." I cringed, suddenly feeling a chill over me, cursing to myself for not at least bringing the cardigan in the backseat of my Tiguan. Aaron nodded, as we begun walking up the concrete steps to the front door which opened seemingly on its own. 

There she was, the Lady of the shop. I felt my blood run cold, and backed up slightly bumping into Aaron's front. He placed a hand steadying me on my lower back, encouraging me to move forward. "Welcome," she said, allowing us entrance. I didn't know what I expected, but it wasn't like anything I had ever seen in a shop before. In the alcove where the window was sat a small, round table with an ornate red tablecloth covering it. There were three chairs, almost as if she was expecting us. "My name is Ileana, is there anything I can help you two look for?" The Lady, Ileana seemed to have a permanent mystery about her, and if it wasn't for Aaron's hand gently pushing me forwards I would've been rooted to the spot. Together we walked by the table, shelves lining the walls packed with old books and tomes. In the corner of the main room, opposite to the table there was a counter, clearly with a newer looking computer and cash desk. But behind it the shelves were lined with bottles of herbs and tonics. "I make my own forms of alternative medicine, protection charms, cleansing charms... love potions,' she made careful note to clearly direct that part of the sentence to Aaron and myself. He just smiled politely, and nodded. I looked back at Aaron who seemed preoccupied with a door to the left of the counter, I noticed that his arms were littered with goose bumps much like my own. 

"Is it cold in here or is it just me?" I asked him quietly. He furrowed his brows using the hand that was currently lightly grazing my waist to rub the back of his neck. He dipped his head close to mine so that his lips were closer to my ear. 

"Something isn't right..." he trailed off in a tone for my ears only. But for some reason I knew Miss Ileana was carefully listening. 

"We're just browsing today thank you," I forced myself to smile and kindly as I could, allowing Ileana to get the message of giving us some space. She slowly walked behind the counter, and I really took her in entirely. It was like she was something out of a totally different era in time, the stereotype of a witch was an understatement. Ileana had dark copper curly hair that was partially pulled out of her face by a black headband. Her aquamarine eyes shone against her fair complexion, freckles littered her nose and cheeks. She didn't appear to be an older woman, and if she was she must have aged well, there was only the hint of wrinkles in the corners of her eyes and nothing else. If it weren't for the strange look she bore she would've been quite pretty, but instead her kohl lined eyes gave a more menacing look. She wore a long royal blue dress, synched at the waist with a black braided leather belt. She wore a black cardigan and it was tied carelessly behind her back. Rings adorned every finger, but what really caught my eye was the pendant around her neck. Three ravens forming the shape of a circle. Aaron moved away from me and begun observing the books lining the wall, while I on the other hand could hardly tear my eyes away from Ileana.

After what felt like an eternity Aaron put his hand on my shoulder, breaking the sudden spell Ileana had over me. "Thank you for letting us browse, but we have to be on our way." Aaron said, Ileana not even looking his way nodded in response.

"Yes, thank you." I said nervously, allowing Aaron to once more guide me out of the front door.

"Oh Guinevere, do come back soon." Ileana smiled sinisterly. I felt my blood run cold and my heart skip a beat. There was no way that she could possibly know my name.   
Aaron and I quickly scampered back to his SUV and hopped in, I was near hyper ventilating. "Hey, hey. What's going on?" 

"Did you say my name at all in there?" I asked, feeling the pounding of my heart vibrating through my entire core. "Because she knew my name, I mean my full name." 

"Gwen, what do you mean?" he asked, suddenly looking pale. 

"She said, Guinevere do come back soon." 

"I had no idea that was your full name, there is no way. She must've heard about you or something." I shook my head, and he shrugged. "I have no idea. But I don't think you should go back anytime soon, at least alone." 

"I couldn't agree more Aaron." I replied, a pain blossoming in my skull. I knew I had an impending headache and it definitely was the last thing I needed. 

"Alright, let's get you back to your car." Aaron gave me a small smile, and I knew he was trying to break this weird hold Ileana left on me. "We should make time this Friday so we can have you take a look at what I'm working with at home."

"Definitely, and how about no more impulse stops to Madam Morrigan's." I gave him a slight wink, anxious to get home and unload on Piper.


	3. Chapter Three

Miranda and Piper were cuddled up on the couch, Miranda's head on Pipers shoulder. The tall blonde seemingly compressed herself in order to let Piper feel like the big man. I knew how much Piper liked to be in charge. They gave me big smiles when I walked in the door, "welcome home working girl!" Miranda called out, "Piper told me you were working with one of the Ghost Adventures guys, that's pretty sweet!" I chuckled, feeling that giddiness wash over me. 

"I know, he's a really good guy. I can tell it's going to be a breeze working with him." I gave them a reassuring smile. Suddenly unsure if I was ready to talk about the weird experience with Ileana and the shop, something was nagging at the back of my mind that I shouldn't get them involved. I shook my head trying to clear it of the strange feeling.   
"I'm getting together with him on Friday to get a look at the house and come up with some more ideas."

"More? Well at least he gave you an idea today." Piper said smiling deviously. "So, did he put any moves on you? Flirt with you?" Miranda sat up and matched Pipers grin. My mind flickered to the moment in the shop where he kept his hand on my back, steadying me. It was such an innocent touch that I really didn't have a reason to think anything of it.   
So I chose not to mention it to the thirsty vultures sitting on the couch. 

"No, he was a perfect gentleman. Plus we just met!" I put my bag on the kitchen island, grabbing my phone out of it. There was a new email notification from Aaron, thanking me for dealing with his curious ass today, and saying how he was excited to get started with me on Friday. I smiled a bit, in reality I was quite pleased with the outcome of the whole situation. Aaron was a sweet guy, a bit childish for his age in my opinion but that wasn't a bad thing. He was eleven years my senior but seemed to make me feel as if we were on the same level. "But, I wouldn't say no if anything came out of it."

"I knew it! There was a little something there!" Piper pointed a finger at me and wiggled it. I just laughed, picking up my purse and headed to my bedroom.

"Alright you two nosy love birds, I am going to find some samples to send him and get the mess I left cleaned up," Miranda took her place back in Piper's arms contently, I felt a pang of jealousy. It had been so long since someone had even held me. I shut the door firmly and leaned against it, the uneasy feeling begun to creep up my throat like a vile. I looked down at my phone and wrote Aaron back.

It's no worry, I am happy to actually help. Though I must admit there is something strange about that shop, I can't stop thinking about it, and when I went to tell my roommate about it all it was like something was screaming at me not too. It's getting me all sickly and weird. I cannot get that Ileana's voice out of my head. I know you have all this experience with the paranormal and was wondering if you could give me some pointers for getting rid of this awful unease. 

On the business front I am going to sit down and look for some samples for you tomorrow, so if I spam you email that why, you don't have to respond right away because we can always go over them Friday along with colours and such for your decor. But I'm going to take a shot in the dark and say you want a few pure black rooms haha. Thanks again for lunch, I haven't eaten there in forever, especially in such good company. 

I paused, not sure if I could leave that last part in. It seemed innocent enough but I didn't want Aaron to think I was hitting on him when I wanted our relationship to remain pretty professional. I shrugged thinking no harm could come to pleasantries and sent it away. 

My room was a disaster, there was a steady flow of clothes all over the floor, and still some on my bed that I shamelessly slept with. Cringing a bit I left my phone on my desk and begun hanging clothes in an attempt to at least somewhat get my life together.

Clothes were my biggest weakness, I loved shopping when I had the funds and finding stuff at bargain places were my favourite thing. I knew that if I hadn't of gone into interior decorating I would've pursued being a personal shopper or a fashion consultant. I didn't like wearing a lot of makeup and having my hair overly done so clothes allowed me to express myself a little bit better. I wasn't too tall or too short so finding clothes could be difficult sometimes, but that also made it all the more rewarding when I did find the things I fit and loved. 

After a few hours of struggling with my mountain of clothes, I made my bed and did some tidying up. I kept one of my walls blank, using it as a place to pin idea's for my clients. Soon it would be filled with photographs of Aaron's paintings. I decided that I would create a room for each of the most meaningful paintings, thankfully Aaron told me he purchased quite a large house so I had lots of space to play with. I couldn't wait to see the actual house and get a running start. I sat down at my desk and pulled up my email, reading the response from Aaron. It seemed so strange that he and I became close in a short amount of time. But I suppose it was because we both were outgoing and open. There was no bullshit between the two of us so I was overly confident that I was going to make a lasting impression on him. 

Gwen,   
You aren't wrong, I have a bad feeling about that shop. There is something not right, like a really dark energy coming from the door. I meant it when I said you shouldn't go back there alone, I have this weird idea that she has a plan for you. The best thing you can do right now is stay positive. Don't let that weird feeling take control of how you act around people. Another thing is not to isolate yourself. Get out and see friends, family, anything of the sort to keep you busy and out of that uneasy feeling.   
I will send you those photos tonight so you've got something to get your creative juices flowing, I'm really excited for anything you've got planned. But no worries about lunch, I enjoyed meeting you and know that we're going to get along great. Anytime. But spam away! I am meeting a friend of mine tomorrow and we are going to hang out for a bit, but if I am done early and it's not super late you can come check the house out early? Maybe we can pick paint? 

My excitement never seemed to stop growing, Aaron left me his cell phone number in the bottom of the email and I shot him a quick text so he had my number. This is what high school kids feel like texting each other. I was glad I never had to deal with this growing up, the anxiety of waiting for an email, or a text was a bothersome anxiety. I stood up and threw my long hair up in a messy bun atop my head. It was getting pretty late and I hadn't eaten since lunch, debating take out I went out into the living room to see what my two favourite girls were up to. Taking Aaron's advice to the fullest extent I could, not being alone would be good for me.

******

I approached the front door of Aaron's home, it was a large white home that looked like it had once held a family. The evening had cooled down and the sun was beginning to set. It had taken me longer than expected to drive in from Laughlin so I was anxious to get started. I knocked on the door and waited patiently, it was a nice area with lots of identical houses, the perfect place to have kids and grow old. So I was having a hard time imagining why Aaron, a perpetual bachelor, was buying a family sized home. 

The door swung open and I gave Aaron a huge smile, "hey, thanks for having me!" 

"Hey no worries! We're just having a barbeque so I thought the more the merrier. You can meet the crew." He returned my smile and ushered me inside. 

"I brought dessert!" I handed him the cookies I had Miranda help me make earlier in the day.

"Well thank you," he laughed nervously, "is this what normal people who have neighbourhood parties feel like?" I just chuckled and patted his arm.

"Probably, now let's eat. I'm starving." 

Aaron's backyard wasn't overly huge, just the right size with an awesome patio. A few guys and a girl sat around in a circle of chairs, a shorter man was busy flipping burgers, they all turned and looked at me. "This is my decorator Gwen! Gwen this is everyone."

"Hey! Thanks for letting me crash the party." I smiled and timidly waved. The crew all gave a warm welcome, so far everything was good. Though I kept getting side glances from one of the guys I immediately recognized as Zak. I tucked my hair behind my ears. Ashley, who was Jay's wife took a seat beside me and asked me more about myself. I was thankful for another woman to break the tension of testosterone. 

"So, I have a feeling that Aaron definitely wants more than just a professional relationship, he's too friendly for his own good." Ashley smiled at me, motioning to Aaron who shot me a smile from his spot at the barbeque. 

"He's a good guy, easy to work with already. I can see us remaining friends after this." I said resting my arm on my knee, which was tucked up to my chest. 

"Good, lord knows I could use another woman at these things. As much as I love the guys, it's nice having someone to chat with that doesn't just want to talk about Star Wars and Pokemon."

"Shit, well I better go. I mean I came here only to talk about Pokemon and Star Wars." I grimaced sarcastically, earning a laugh from the other woman. 

"Well then you'll get along with everyone just great." she patted my arm affectionately before standing up and going over to her husband. I smiled a bit at the sight, you could really see how they loved each other and I'll admit I was a little jealous. 

******

The burgers were fantastic, I don't know where Billy found his recipe but man was I full. At one point Aaron and Zak tried to start a fire, a task then ended up taking way too long while they bickered playfully. The guys reminded me of Piper and myself, playful banter and sarcastic remarks, also a lot of snapchatting. The desert night was a welcome coolness from the unbelievable heat wave we were stuck in, the fresh air mixed with the subtle warmth of the fire provided the best environment to relax. Aaron and I volunteered to do dishes inside, giving us a moment to show me around the house. It was gorgeous. Personally I wouldn't change the kitchen, the deep granite counter tops paired with light grey cabinets gave off a very welcome environment. It was modern yes, but Aaron and I could fix that with a quick coat of paint to the off white walls and the cabinets. Upstairs there was a few children's bedrooms, the pink walls and fairy decor didn't exactly clash well with anything else in the house. Earning quite the laugh out of me, "I'm thinking we just cut our losses and completely paint THESE rooms black." 

"Thank you! I definitely do not think it'll be worth it to sand the fairies off." Aaron leaned up against the wall, his arms crossed. "I mean as gorgeous as these are, I just don't know if I really care enough to put up with this shit." 

I ran a hand across the glitter wings, "I can't tell you then how I have these exact ones in my bedroom!" He laughed, enjoying my sarcasm. 

"Why don't you just have these then! They'll look lovely with the rest of your collection." He joked. I met his gaze, the accumulation of beer and burgers hitting us both. 

"Thanks again, for everything by the way," I suddenly felt very shy, and realized exactly how close to one another we were standing. "I'm really enjoying myself tonight. Though I don't think Zak likes me all that much." 

"No, he is just weird sometimes, trust me the minute we get down there he's going to be cracking jokes at us for being gone so long or something along those lines." Aaron unfolded his arms, subtly angling his body more towards mine. I felt my heart pound in my chest, suddenly nervous with butterflies in my stomach. 

"We best not lead the poor guy on then..." I trailed off, watching his eyes drift to look at my lips. I cleared my throat, there was a line that shouldn't be crossed, even if the temptation was there. 

"Yeah, sorry I'll show you the rest of the house." He rubbed his face lightly, scratching the well trimmed stubble there. "Ladies first," he let me exit the child's bedroom first, heading back down the hallway. The rest of the tour was uneventful, the awkwardness of our moment in the bedroom fading. This I was more than relieved about, maybe it was just my imagination, or just the alcohol clouding my brain. I really shouldn't of let Jay and Bacon challenge me to beer bong. I wasn't a great drinker, but at least I wasn't as light weighted as Jay, who had to be taken home by Ashley, the voice of reason. Her and I got lots of opportunities to talk and ended up exchanging numbers, hopefully going to get together for coffee soon. I didn't really have many friends other than Piper and Miranda, so another gal to talk boy's with might be nice. Another great thing is that Aaron wasn't wrong, it didn't take long for Zak to start cracking jokes. We even got an a chance to sit down and get familiar. I knew I would be seeing Zak around so it was good to find some common ground.

"Gwen, Aaron told me about that shop." Zak said, I felt the sense of unease return and he noticed me visibly shrink. "Don't worry too much, but if you start feeling more uneasy I have psychic friends who I can refer you to. They might be able to help."

"Thank you, I honestly don't know why its effecting me so badly. It's like a weight I can't shake off." he nodded firmly, his lips pursed.

"We all here know that feeling, we've all felt it at one point or another. What we do isn't exactly easy, there is a lot of spiritual residue we all have to deal with every day. Aaron in particular still has some bad shit follow him around."

"Yeah, we touched base a bit on it during lunch." I played with the ends of my hair, "I hope I never really have to feel that, it looks like it takes a lot out of a person."

"But it also is a great connection we have, making our job easier." Zak tried to keep it positive, something that I admired. For people who had seen a lot of darkness in their lives, they knew how to make a positive spin on it. I smiled at him, "you might see some weird shit helping Aaron here though, just as a warning." I nodded, knowing full well it came with the territory. I wasn't a for sure believer but after my weird experience in the shop yesterday who was I to argue that there wasn't something weird in this world. Zak patted his dog Gracie before she ran off into the yard again, the crew was so tightly knit and I started to feel a bit out of place.

I excused myself and thanked Zak for the chat before heading inside, the effects of the beer were wearing off and I knew in a few hours I would probably head home. I went into the bathroom and set my water down on the counter. I looked into the mirror and examined my face, the rosy complexion was gone, and sat my plain tan skin, I tried to push my hair out of my face and fix my makeup. I wasn't plain looking by any means, I had nice features... a small nose, full lips (thank you mom), and wild hazel eyes. I kept thinking to myself what Piper and Miranda had said to me, how I should put myself out there again and meet a good guy. But it wasn't that easy was it? I had been fired and heartbroken two years ago from Mark, and then let go from another job two months ago. I had flings with guys but nothing ever came out of it. My womanly confidence was far from where it should be. I groaned and applied some lip balm I tucked away in my pocket. I was young, and relatively pretty. It shouldn't be this difficult.

There was a knock at the bathroom door, "you okay?" Aaron's voice came through. I relaxed a bit, opening the door. 

"Yeah, I just wanted to freshen up." I gave him a friendly smiled and leaned against the opposite side of the doorway. 

"Oh good, Zak just headed out with Billy, and I think Bacon is headed out soon." 

"Already? You're all a bunch of old men." I teased, looking at my phone for the first time since I arrived. It was already ten after eleven, time had gone by quickly considering I arrived just before seven. "Let me guess, it's your bedtime." 

"No," he laughed. "I hardly sleep as it is, I'm up all night some days." I could see that as quickly as he started laughing it was over. He had a bit of a serious expression and gripped the can of coke in his hand a bit tighter. 

"Well now it's my turn," I rested my hand on his forearm, "are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay." he said softly giving me a sweet, kind of half smile. I returned the gaze, my hand drifting off to hang at my side. There was a strange feeling in the air, a tension of sorts. It was almost like the feeling I had in the shop, but diluted. This was going to be an interesting job, that was for sure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Shoot me a review in the comments :)


	4. Chapter Four

It was about 10 in the morning when I pulled the Tiguan back into Aaron's driveway, this time I was here on business and would try to compose myself in a more professional manner. I had my hair pulled up, a cut off tee, and some linen pants on. I paired it with lace up flats, just because I was painting and shit today didn't mean I had to look grungy. I tightened my bun before getting out of the vehicle and walking up the main steps and ringing the doorbell. Aaron answered the door inhumanly quick and stepped outside, "I thought we might as well just head out now. Mainly because I have no idea what I want to do for paint." 

"We'll get a shit ton of swatches then, I turned on my heel and we headed back toward our vehicles. "I'll drive." 

"Sounds good," he stopped for a second taking a good look at me. "You look nice today."

I could feel the warmth rush to my cheeks and laughed nervously. "You're not so bad yourself." He just chuckled, rubbing his head again before getting into my vehicle. The drive to the hardware store was eventful to say the least, Aaron was the DJ and snapchatted us jamming to some good old nostalgic music. I enjoyed how comfortable we were together, it was a nice change from how awkward I was around men. But I think it all stemmed back to my sister Igraine and I only being raised by our mother the history professor. It was pretty obvious what particular piece of history really floated her boat. I never really had a lot of men in my life, even my dating record was brief. 

Aaron and I looked at the massive display of swatches and we knew we were in trouble. "Well we have one colour picked out, know just for the rest..." I grimaced, chewing on my bottom lip. Aaron groaned, "let's start with the bedroom then." I had Aaron go around and pick every colour that caught his eye, and soon enough we had well over thirty swatches in our possession. 

"Well it's a start." he tried to joke, and I just gave him a strange look. 

"You are the most difficult client I have ever had, and we haven't even started looking at furniture." I replied as sarcastic as possibly before we both grinned. "Let's head back, pick what will go where, and then come back and actually get paint."

"Probably a good idea." he smiled, and stuffed the paint swatches into his back pocket. 

******

"So, what about this blue for the bathroom?" I shouted, holding up a swatch. We were upstairs on opposite sides of the house, trying to each take on a room and meet in the middle. 

"It better not be that weird baby blue!" he called back, immediately crossed out the blue in question with a huffy composure. I found myself running thin on patience, Aaron was picky. At one point I was tempted just to pour black paint over everything and say fuck it. I had dealt with picky clients before, demanding trophy wives and their disinterested husbands, people who wanted everything to be 'just right', you name it I've had to deal with it. But Aaron was a whole different form of picky, he wasn't completely clear on what he wanted so we were in a constant battle of unease with paint. I dropped the swatches on the counter and made my way over to one of the bedrooms Aaron was in. "Okay, here's the deal. YOU pick the swatches and put them in a room. Pick the first one you see and leave it circled in that room." I was slightly peeved and Aaron picked up on it right away. I stood, arms crossed in the doorway. He raised an eyebrow and smiled at me. 

"Alright, alright. I guess I have made this tough for you." he walked through the doorway poking me in the side, so I thumped him on the arm. 

"It's already after five, we can't bum around picking paint the whole time." I huffed, and he gave me a shy smile. "I'll finish your painting job, now go. Pick colours already." I shooed him out the door and left it only slightly ajar. I breathed in deeply, I know I was just getting irritable because it had been a long day, and I had hardly slept the night before. I kept having almost nightmares of sort, like I was seeing this terrifying woman with long black hair. She always had her back to me, and beside her was my body being feasted upon by three ravens. It left a foul taste in my mouth that I couldn't seem to get rid of. So I began painting, making sure I was busy for the remainder of the hour, keeping focused on the task at hand seemed to help take my mind off the dreams. 

When I finally finished painting the first coat I stood back a grimaced at the paint splatter on my arms and bare feet. Black was definitely a messy colour to paint with, no doubt there. Thankfully Aaron had painted the other room and the trim of the walls in this one so I really didn't have a lot to do tonight. Aaron knocked on the door, opening it to reveal him looking at me with a sheepish expression, "well I figured out what I wanted to do."

"Thank god. Can we get paint now? Or at least food?" I asked giving him a kind smile, I knew he meant well even if it was a tad frustrating having him take all damn day picking paint. 

"Food first yes, it's already just after six so I was thinking we could grab something quick and get started." He suggested.

"Yeah, if we leave now we can get the paint in time to get at least a few rooms done tonight." I put down the roller and wiped my hands on my pants. "It's going to be a long night." 

Aaron and I gathered what we needed to and made our way to grab the food and paint. Aaron suggested he make something quick at the house so a stop at the grocery store on the way back to his place was a must, if anything else he made for me would be as good as the other shit we had last night I would be happy. This time he offered to drive, I sat in his SUV and played with my fingers, my thoughts suddenly filled with crows. "Hey Aaron, I've been having these weird nightmares the past few nights." 

"What about?" he turned down the music.

"Ravens or crows, my dead body, a mysterious woman.." I picked at my fingernails nervously, "sometimes it's about a huge battle, a war of sorts. It changes every time I fall asleep."

"You should talk to Zak, he has weird dreams and nightmares all the time. I understand what you mean but I am the worst person to ask about that." Aaron suggested, handing me his unlocked phone. "Grab his number and shoot him a text, he's probably free tonight so ask him to meet us at my place and you guys can chat while I tape up the rooms."

"You sure he wouldn't mind? I mean they're just dreams right?" I transferred Zak's information into my phone. 

"It would probably help to have some kind of understanding as to what is happening to you." Aaron briefly looked over at me before focusing his eyes back onto the road. "Dreams aren't something to be taken lightly Gwen, sometimes they really mean something." I felt my skin crawl, he was right to some level, it was better to be safe than sorry. 

Hey, this is Gwen, Aaron's friend. He told me I should come to you with this question, that you'd be the best to help. I've been having crazy nightmares lately, ever since we visited that shop. Is there anything you can suggest to me to help? Or what I should do?

I received as reply almost immediately. 

Gwen I think it's best if I come to you. How would Monday work for you?

I breathed a sigh of relief and thanked him, "he and I are going to get together after the weekend."

"There is something you should know upfront about Zak, he doesn't take this sort of thing lightly, and plus I think he feels like you have an attachment of sorts. I know that's what I'm worried about." We pulled up to the hardware store and Aaron locked his eyes with mine. "You know how I feel about attachments, it's scary shit." I swallowed the painful lump in my throat and nodded, the sudden looming feeling of fear settling in my bones.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave a review in the comments if you please!


	5. Chapter Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks everyone for reading, leave me a review if you are enjoying the story.

I collapsed into my bed, fresh out of the shower. I had scrubbed for hours trying to cleanse my skin of the paint, I was covered in blacks and reds almost head to toe. My body ached like a mother fucker and I could hardly move once I had sat in my car on the drive home. I let my sheets soak the remaining water in my hair, It was easier this way. It was so long and thick that if I let it sit in the towel for too long I knew that I would have to untangle the towel from its wavy grip. My mother used to tell me growing up that I had hair just like my father's. I never met him though, because he ran out on my mom six months after I was born. I never could hate him though, because I never knew what he was like. Igraine however, hated the man with a fiery passion. I distinctly remember that when I was nine she blew up at my mom for mentioning him to me and burned every photo she could get her hands on while mom was working. I never forgave her for that, just because she hated him didn't mean that I had to. 

Igraine and I were never terribly close, she was four years older than I and always managed to make my life a living hell. Then she ran off when she turned eighteen and I never heard much of her after that. In fact it had almost been two years since I saw her, last I heard from mom she had gotten married and pregnant. I know my mother was devastated, she had tried so hard to make peace with my sister and to no avail. Igraine harboured too much hatred and kept too high of walls to let either my mother or I in. 

I gave my head a solid shake and grabbed the pyjama's hanging off the back of my chair. Throwing the oversized t-shirt over my head I paused to take a look in the mirror, I had forgotten I had this shirt... it was one of his. Over the past few years I had tried to put the Mark situation behind me, but draped over my narrow shoulders was one of his worn baseball tees. I could've sworn that I had burned or thrown out everything that was once his. Shame filled my, causing my chest to ache uncontrollably. No matter how much time would pass I knew that falling in love with that man would be the worst thing I would ever have done to myself. Once again I ended up being someone's second choice. 

I practically threw off the shirt, chucking it into the waste basket. My hands were shaking like mad and I tried to calm my breathing. I collapsed to the floor, praying out to anyone that was listening to please set me free. At this point I figured out that I had been through too much dark shit in my life to keep reminders of it. Sitting on the floor, I brought my knees up to my chest and rested my head on them. Closing my eyes I began to calm myself with long deep breaths. 

I gathered my wits and threw on a different sleeping shirt, anxious to get into bed and try to sleep. I pulled the duvet way over my head and settled in, finding the darkness overtake me. 

The grass was warm beneath me as I laid out stretching my achy muscles. The familiar tug greeted me. "It's been a long time since we last ran hey?" the boy beside me, Jack, said, tightening his laces. I felt a grin spread across my face, they both knew the reason why we had stopped running. I looked to my left and locked eyes with the second boy, his name was on the tip of my tongue, but I couldn't remember it. I could hear the sound of voices all around us. The smell of summer was thick in the air, barbeques were being started, kids older and younger than us ran around chasing one another. The forest stood below us, the trees on the outskirts providing shade for a small cluster of tables to the west, the entrance to a running path due east. In front of the path lay a small river bed, there was flooding recently that caused a whole number of problems for the forest and the people of Aberdeen. 

School events were never my forte, most people treated me like an outcast. I smoothed my hair back into the ponytail high on my head saying a silent prayer that I saw nothing. Jack stood up and offered his hand to me, I reached up letting him hoist me up to my feet. "Thanks." I flashed him a warm smile before helping the other boy to his feet. His eyes were brown with flecks of gold, and his cheeks dotted with freckles. We made our way down the hill, Jack waving to our teacher, pointing towards the trail. She was a small, meek woman with a pointed noise. She nodded and smiled to us before turning back to a few of the other female teachers. We made our way down the hill towards the small river, I overheard Jack and the other boy chatted to themselves about some of the girls from our class. Reaching the edge of the water I removed my shoes, carefully wading my way into the water, it was cool as if untouched by the heat in the air. A chill passed over me as I held my shoes close to my chest, keeping them away from the water. I reached the other side quickly, thankful that there was nothing in the water to cut my feet. I sat down under a large tree, letting my feet stick out from under the shade to let them dry. Jack dropped down beside me, slipping on his socks and shoes. "Eager to get out there?" I asked him, resting my head against the oak tree, closing my eyes. 

"Yeah, my dad has been on me to go for sports next year, finally get remembered for something. Just like him, and his old man before that." I heard him say. 

"Well don't leave without me okay?" I remember saying before blacking out.

***

My vision split, jumping from one perspective to another. I wasn't there anymore; my physical body had faded away, left behind sitting at the base of the tree. I was a part of the boys now, a silent keeper. They ran, feet slapping against the dirt trail. Agile as cat's they were, vaulting over the carcasses of fallen trees. Somehow I could feel Jack smiling, his heart beating faster and faster with adrenaline. Freedom flowed through them as they powered forward, the wind like fingers through their hair. The other boy laughed, a sweet sounding melody. The path in front of them widened to reveal a hill covered in fall leaves. 

Jack felt puzzled by this, for it was the middle of summer. They blasted over the hill, sending leaves up into the air as the bottom of the hill loomed into view. There were two eyes staring back at them, throwing on the breaks Jack and the other boy slowed to a jog. Twisted together in a unnatural way, two large trees grew upwards high into the sky. Their roots forming two perfect circles, the pair of empty eyes staring back at them. "Have you ever seen this before?" Jack asked his chest heaving. The boy shook his head, his skin had turned white. A strange chill settled over the pair as they stopped jogging altogether. 

"I've never seen anything like this in my life." he said, his voice slightly shaking. Jack rubbed his arms in an attempt to fight the gooseflesh taking over his arms, traveling upwards. "We should stay away from there right?" 

"Yeah, we probably should." Jack said. He began taking slow steps back, the eerie leaves crunching beneath his feet. The other boy followed his footsteps as they made their way back I found myself snapping into Jack's perspective, watching the pair of eyes grow smaller. The dark, piercing holes slicing through my very being with a terrible, sickening feeling. They turned on their heels and started running as fast as their legs could take them. I could feel the feel the fear in Jack slowly dissipate the further they got from the eyes. Relief settled over them as they ran off the path, cutting through the trees with ease. As they ventured into the darker parts of the forest the ground became slick with mud and moisture, making the dirt look as black as tar. "I've never been this far out before, think we can make it back in time for the barbeque?" Jack shouted.

"Yeah, we will, we haven't gone any direction but straight." the other boy called back. 

My vision changed, and I was looking through the other boy's eyes. I could sense a nervous energy in his bones. The forest was getting to him, and it was causing his judgment to fail. "Hey, I think I spotted something." I/He looked over to Jack who was pointing towards a gap in the trees. Just a short distance away they could see a waterfall pouring into a swimming hole. His heart sped up in his chest, "Let's go." 

We followed Jack, towards the crystal blue waters. Small cliffs loomed on either side, and for the first time since they started running the two of us split up. We made our way up the right side, the center of the pond was a dark powerful blue, its waters hardly moving even from the force of the fall. We looked over at Jack and smiled before I felt myself being pulled into him. 

My friend, I knew that's what he was, he stood there mesmerized by the beauty of it. A smiled tugged at his lips before he trained his eyes on the boy. Behind him there was a black mist taking form. I tried to call out to him but his name was trapped on the tip of my tongue. I shouted, but I knew he couldn't her me.

He couldn't hear us. 

Jack and I yelled, waving our arms for him to look up just a split second. We needed to warn him, the shape was becoming eerily human. I felt his body freeze as the shape lifted up a long arm above its head. Finally the other boy looked up and locked eyes on us, I felt tears in his eyes, blurring the scene in front of him. 

The figure struck down hard and I was shot forwards. Suddenly I was looking up into the air, he and I were falling, I saw Jack screaming, I could faintly hear him. We blinked as everything felt slow motion; this couldn't be it, we couldn't be dying. But our body shattered as we hit the icy water, sinking downwards. We were surrounded by peaceful blue, almost wrapping around us like a pair of arms. We closed our eyes as I felt myself come to and start screaming. 

His name was Adam  
******  
The weekend rolled by surprisingly quickly, Aaron giving me Sunday to look around for additional furniture he could make into something he liked. It was tedious, but enjoyable. If this were the 50's I would make some rich man happy decorating his home like a good little house wife. But it was finally Monday, and I sat in a small park a few blocks from my apartment waiting for Zak to meet me. The nightmares had escalated to the point where I had hardly slept, I was getting emotional and irritable and I knew it needed to be dealt with sooner rather than later. The September air was warm and pleasant, making me love this city more than ever. Kids ran around on the equipment in front of me, their laughter filling my ears. I used to want kids, Mark and I. He and his wife had tried and failed many times, and he thought maybe we would have the chance. Silly isn't it? How men put these silly ideas in your head, making you believe you are the only one. 

I knew my time would come, eventually. Love was something not quite for me at this point in my life. Letting my thoughts fade away I closed my eyes and tilted my head back, enjoying the slight breeze on my skin. Minutes passed before Zak's voice broke my train of thought. "Gwen?"

"Hey, sorry, I was just enjoying the weather." I peeked at him out of one eye. He gave me a smile, and I motioned for him to take a seat on the bench beside me. "How was your weekend?"

"Oh not bad, just doing some editing with Jay. The usual, have to get ready for the new season soon." he leaned back, crossing his arms. I took a long look at him, Piper wasn't kidding when she said he was the looker of the team. His body was well taken care of that's for sure, his arms were definitely defined and part of me was content just looking at them. I tore my eyes away and met his gaze, "now tell me about these nightmares." 

I felt my palms get a bit clammy, and my face fell. "I suppose it's best to get it all out now huh?" 

"Sooner you do, the sooner we can help you sleep." Zak teased, clearly noticing the deep purple under my eyes. I rolled my eyes, sitting up a little straighter. I tucked one of my legs under me and began telling him. 

I could've sworn hours had gone by as he listened to every detail, nodding slowly, taking it all in. I felt like a fool, rambling about crows, women with dark hair, and Adam. The boy who's face haunted me even in the daylight. Zak was clearly interested in finding out what was the meaning to all of this. I finally stopped my insane tangent and I sighed deeply. We sat in a moment of silence for a while, so he could take it all in. 

Suddenly he got to his feet, extending a hand towards me. "Come on, walk with me." I blinked, unsure of what direction he was going with this. I took his hand and let him help me to my feet, Zak was such a mystery to me. Something told me that he was a very old soul, joking and immature with his friends. But also deeply wise, and full to the brim with guidance. I stared deep into hazel eyes which crinkled in the corners as he smiled.


End file.
